I recently read a little booklet about vocational calling. It was written by a Presbyterian minister who was talking about how to know what God wants us to do with our vocation. In other words, what am I suppose to do with my life? My work? Course, the ultimate goal I think is honoring God and glorifying and living for Him. But, specifically what does God want us to do?
At different times in my life I would have answered that question differently. But, I think the answer is found in answering a different question. That question is "Who has God made you into?" In other words, when you look into the mirror, what is the core values and goals that are yours? What makes you get up in the morning? What do you find fulfilling? What are your strengths and gifts? To answer that, of course, is something only the individual can do. Nobody can do it for you. The answer is the calling. The vocation, in my opinion, is an outward working out of that calling.
At some point in the last few years, I have come to see that in some ways I can identify with those who are hurting. I have an empathy for them, but it isn't pity. I don't feel pity, but I don't feel a desire to help those who are hurting. My calling is to help those who are wounded. That woundedness can be spiritual, emotional and sometimes it is physical. That is my calling. My vocational at the present time is in mental health. That is how my calling is worked out. I have also found myself in hospitals, nursing homes and churches. These are all places where wounded people go.
If you asked me that question a few years ago about where God wants us to be. I would have said that you should make sure you are delighting in God and then pray about it and seek God's face. That is still a good answer. I think there is a lot to prayer and meditating on God's truths and getting right with God. I also would also say that I believe God has a specific desire for each of us in our work. Work is simply too important a task for us to ignore that God has a will for what we should do. We spend a good part of our lives working at something. But, I would also say now that I believe God wants us to be true to ourselves. God wants us to be authentic. It seems like to me there are a lot of people who are not true to themselves and therefore are discontent.
God does have a specific desire for each of us in our work. I truly believe that. But, I also believe that God has a desire for us to be who he has made us to be. In Romans 8:28 it talks about how God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. What does that mean? It doesn't mean that God causes bad things to happen. It means that God can bring good out of bad things. Maybe it is to take those painful places and help someone else in the process. It certainly means that God uses the trials and the pains and the suffering of life to mold us into who He wants us to be. That God is interested in building in us the character of Christ, so that He can use us. If Christ suffered, then we will also suffer.
